thericochet

Agentbolt

For the inevitable "Can it play games" questions, it's the HD 3000 Intel Integrated Graphics (specifically, the crippled I3 version of said) so while it's light years beyond the integrated Intel Graphics of old, anything more complex than WoW, League of Legends, or Half Life 2 (the last two at least with most options set to "off" or "low") will struggle badly.

theguruguys

SSD drives make laptops, even slower older ones, run so much faster. Many users do not store a lot of data on their laptops so a SSD replacement is a good choice. For the price, this is a pretty good deal. The processor is plenty fast for everyday tasks, a 14" screen makes the lower resolution not so bad, and a matte finish screen is a big bonus. Windows 7 Pro is also a plus for business users that need to connect to a server at work.

There is a lot to like about this laptop, for many users this would be the fastest laptop they have ever owned (mainly due to the SSD drive). If I were in the market I'd jump on it.

dbdigital

We use the Dell Latitude series at work. I have an E6420 and tested the E5420 (previous gen that didn't have USB 3.0).

These are very well made vs. the comparable units at similar price. the Latitude series offers Business type options such as eSata/USB 3.0 combo port, Express card port, and docking station port that you won't find on most laptops put this in a different class. It also has Win7 Pro vs home edition. If you want to avoid Win8 .

These are nothing like the Dell Insignia series laptops sold to home market which are cheap and more like standard sub $500 laptops.

These are constructed very well, strong hinges and solid feel overall. The best Dell business series equivalent, the E6430, had a slighly better construction with an extrudedaluminum base, but they weigh more and cost 10-15% more.

An SSD Is no small add on when you see what performance you gain, it is unbelievable vs. a 5400RPM rotational drive. Even with an i3 this will be a very fast unit. About 30% of the HD space will be used with OS but if you have huge files use a large USB 3.0 storage device and you are set to rock.

Although these have a fairly low failure rate vs. Std OTC laptops, add on warranty could be smart. However, Dell designs these with less variation in components vs. other manufacturers designs so this also helps in the quality of the unit.

At 4.5 lbs it is not light, but still under 5 lbs where most cheaper laptops seems to hover.

tc1uscg

Even though you have gotten many responses questioning the above, I hear what you’re saying. 128gb drive on a laptop IS A JOKE. Reasons for having a laptop for MOST people is so we don't have to pull a wagon load of external hardware behind us. JMO

Oh, nice laptop the storage is a deal breaker and even at 150.00 for a 750gb hybrid drive, it's still not on the radar.

gusvonpooch

tc1uscg wrote:Even though you have gotten many responses questioning the above, I hear what you’re saying. 128gb drive on a laptop IS A JOKE. Anyone trying to justify it is a joke too. Reasons for having a laptop for MOST people is so we don't have to pull a wagon of cords, dongles and external hardware behind us (i.e., external drives, keyboards, mice). When the hybid has learned your boot paterns, etc, the 15 or so seconds you gain with a SSD boot over a Hybrid doesn't justify the cost/storage capacity. JMO

Oh, nice laptop but it has 2 flaws. 1, it's a dell and 2, it's a dell. 2 of my 3 dells have had problems but dealing with customer support is almost as much a joke as sticking a small SSD in a laptop. ;)

tc1uscg

:-).. Nope. Not going to get in a tinkling contest here but I've been using a tower that came with a SSD (64gb). It took me 2 weeks to exceed the limit of the drive even though I was installing EVERYTHING on the data drive. Just saying, it's not for everyone and to me, I don't need to shell out the bucks for a 300gb+ SSD drive just to gain a few seconds on booting. My needs justify internal capacity. Who wants to dongle a external drive while on the top of a telephone pole like I would have to do? Besides, 130.00 for 750gb hybrid vs 400.00 for a cheap 500gb SSD. Thats enough price dif for me to go with a 750.

corvettejoe

It's a Latitude, the business model. They don't need to look flashy. Latitudes ROCK. I still have perfectly working Latitudes from the mid 90's sitting around (don't ask LOL). I would take one of these over an Inspiron or any other brand/model any day of the week.

This is a great price for what you are getting. If I wasn't already rocking an i5 Dell I got from work, I would have bought one of these no questions asked this morning for myself.

RandyMillerIII

I bought a similar laptop from Woot last year (Dell E6420) for about twice this much. The main difference was that my model came equipped with an i5 processor, a 256GB SSD and an HD+ display (1600x900). I definitely appreciate all three upgrades, but this looks like a pretty solid middle-ground deal. No complaints so far...it's an incredibly well-built machine, runs smoothly and is easily to upgrade. Just buy a little extra RAM, an external hard drive and a wireless mouse and you'll be set.

friendlynerd

Does anyone know if the SSD that these come with is one that uses the hard drive bay or if it is mSATA? Ideally for me it would be mSATA so I could stick additional slower storage in the HDD bay but I realize that's probably wishful thinking.

breezyjr

friendlynerd wrote:Does anyone know if the SSD that these come with is one that uses the hard drive bay or if it is mSATA? Ideally for me it would be mSATA so I could stick additional slower storage in the HDD bay but I realize that's probably wishful thinking.

According to the writeup on one of the above links, it's in the Hard drive bay... BUT, very easy to swap out if you wanted. The writeup states the bottom comes off with a few screws, and you have access to just about everything... even adding a cellular card.

LambertJohn

I wonder who this is refurbished by?? Is it Dell? Or are these off-lease computers that have been wiped down with Windex and repackaged and sold as refurbished? FYI, 1366x768 is not good resolution for a 14" notebook. Get ready for a grainy screen if you buy this computer. Now if this was 1600x900 screen, I might consider it.

robor007

theguruguys wrote:SSD drives make laptops, even slower older ones, run so much faster. Many users do not store a lot of data on their laptops so a SSD replacement is a good choice. For the price, this is a pretty good deal. The processor is plenty fast for everyday tasks, a 14" screen makes the lower resolution not so bad, and a matte finish screen is a big bonus. Windows 7 Pro is also a plus for business users that need to connect to a server at work.

There is a lot to like about this laptop, for many users this would be the fastest laptop they have ever owned (mainly due to the SSD drive). If I were in the market I'd jump on it.

^What he said^ (it's no wonder you have so many quality posts)

Want a great budget laptop. Get something decent and make it great with a SSD instead of traditional hard drive.

Cook74

Well, this made my morning. My Dell Vostro laptop with Core 2 and Windows Vista Pro (remember that?) is several years old and I bought it because it is a business machine and came with ZERO third party stuff I never needed anyway.

Looks like I will jump on this and say to my wife I just bought my birthday present two months early...

BTW, I am now retired and will use this around the house like I do with my Woot purchased ASUS tablets. So, I am not concerned about weight, especially when this Vostro weighs in at 9+ pounds... ;)

Plus with the reviews, looks like I can use this on my boat and load up some navigation software for a back up of my nav system. A win win... thanks Woot...

hatfira

friendlynerd wrote:Does anyone know if the SSD that these come with is one that uses the hard drive bay or if it is mSATA? Ideally for me it would be mSATA so I could stick additional slower storage in the HDD bay but I realize that's probably wishful thinking.

If it's like all the Dell Latitudes I know, the DVD drive bay is removable. Just buy a tray, slap in your favorite hard drive, and have the drive storage AND the SSD for booting. No need for an external anything as long as you don't need the optical. If that happens, pop out the drive, pop in the optical, get what you need off of it, and pop back in the drive. With a little creative thinking, you can indeed have it all.

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